Ryan Colo

• Provide transparency and public accountability in foster care cases, offering citizens a way to influence public policy that impacts Oregon's most vulnerable children and families.
• Promoted collaboration among board members, promoting open communication and shared decision making.
• Collaborated with other board members to develop and execute programs and initiatives to advance organizational mission.
• Drove strategic planning efforts to align with our boards vision and objectives.
• Prepared and presented reports to inform board on progress and goals.

As a Prevention Specialist, I worked with and support the Prevention/Program Manager in the coordination of Counseling Testing Referral Services (CTRS), including supervising volunteers, and providing HIV client-centered counseling and needle exchange (NEX) to high-risk populations. I also worked as a Disease Intervention Specialist, conducting contact tracing, risk reduction education, assessment and referral services and health literacy education for people at risk or living with HIV, STIs and TB.

A Prevention Specialist is responsible for identifying, addressing, and reducing potential risks and harm to individuals, communities, or organizations. This role often focuses on preventing harm in various contexts, such as health, safety, mental well-being, and social welfare. One of the key duties is conducting risk assessments to identify potential threats that could cause harm, evaluating environmental, social, and behavioral factors that may contribute to these risks. They are also tasked with designing and implementing harm prevention programs, policies, and strategies, which may address areas such as substance abuse prevention, mental health support, violence reduction, bullying prevention, or community safety.

In addition, Harm Prevention Specialists develop educational materials and deliver training sessions to individuals, communities, or organizations to raise awareness of harm prevention issues. This includes teaching coping skills, promoting safe behaviors, and educating on potential risks. They also engage in community outreach efforts, work with other community partners and local government agencies to promote proactive measures to reduce harm. I believe Prevention Specialists are responsible for continuously monitoring the effectiveness of prevention programs, collecting data, assessing outcomes, and adjusting strategies as needed to improve results. They also provide direct support to individuals at risk. Additionally, I believe Prevention Specialists bring a unique perspective that makes them well-suited to advocate for policy changes or the development of new regulations aimed at reducing harm in communities or workplaces. This may involve lobbying for adjustments in laws related to substance abuse or mental health.

During my time as a student, I gained a comprehensive understanding of the social services field, focusing on supporting individuals and communities in need. The curriculum at Umpqua Community College designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience to work in a variety of settings such as social work, counseling, healthcare, and non-profit organizations.

• Streamlined backup and recovery processes, enhancing overall system stability and availability.
• Ensured database security with implementation of role-based access control and regular vulnerability assessments.
• Reduced data retrieval times for business users by creating indexed views and optimizing stored procedures.
• Built databases and table structures for web applications.